There are many situations in which a shielded cable is exposed to large electromagnetic fields and it is necessary to remove the induced voltages in the shield so that they will not be carried along the cable to a point where they would interfere with equipment to which the cable is interconnected. For example, on board ship there are frequent connections between equipment located above deck to other remotely located equipment below deck via shielded cables exposed to substantial electromagnetic energy, such as from the ship's radar, for example. It is accordingly essential to ground the cable shield to the deck or adjacent superstructure of the ship before the cable passes below deck to utilization equipment which would either be damaged or substantially interfered with by the electromagnetic energy induced voltage in the cable shield. This is a particularly severe problem in naval craft where the electromagnetic field produced by their radar produces a local electromagnetic field of a relatively high level.
In the past, grounding of cables under these circumstances has been accomplished simply by interconnecting a single element conductor (so-called "pigtail") between the cable shield and ground which, in the present case, would be the ship'deck. Such interconnection was at a limited point on the shield and would not be satisfactory for removing induced voltages produced by high level electromagnetic fields to the extent necessary to keep interference within accepted limits. Also, frequently pigtail connections left exposed parts of the shield which could result in deterioration of the shield and/or connection resulting from adverse environmental factors.